The religious world today is a false teacher's playground. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul wrote, "...the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." Among the most prevalent of false doctrines today is that once a person is saved, that salvation cannot be lost. Below are listed 36 Bible texts which illustrate that one who has been saved can fall from the grace bestowed by God. Thanks to John Hains, who several years ago, supplied me with a set of notes, "Can A Christian Be Lost?", from which the following chart comes.
| BIBLE TEXT |
DESCRIPTION OF SAVED |
DESCRIPTION OF SIN |
DESCRIPTION AFTER |
| Ezekiel 3:20; 18:24-26
| righteous
| turns away, commits iniquity
| die in sin
|
| Matthew 25:1-13
| went to meet Christ
| five were foolish
| "I do not know you"
|
| Matthew 25:14-30
| Christ’s own slaves
| hid talent
| wicked lazy, cast into outer darkness, weep & gnash
|
| Luke 8:13
| received word with joy, believed
| temptation, persecution
| fall away
|
| Luke 9:62
| put hands to plow of kingdom
| looked back to former life
| not fit for kingdom
|
| Luke 12:42-48
| steward in charge of Christ’s servants
| beat slaves, drunkenness
| cut in pieces, assign with unbelievers
|
| John 15:1-6
| branches
| does not abide
| thrown away, dried up, burnt
|
| Acts 4:32, 5:1-11
| of those who believed
| lied to the Holy Spirit
| God struck dead
|
| Acts 8:9-24
| Simon the sorcerer believed, baptized, received HS
| offered money
| heart not right, wickedness, gall of bitterness, bond of iniquity
|
| Acts 20:17, 28-30
| elders, shepherds of the church
| false doctrine
| drawn away
|
| Romans 11:13-23
| wild olive, grafted in v 17, stand by faith v 20
| unbelief, not continue, v 20, 22
| not spared, cut off v 21-22
|
| 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
| apostle Paul, preached to others
| body not slave
| Paul disqualified
|
| 1 Corinthians 10:1-12
| standing (feel they are saved) v 12
| immorality, crave evil, grumble
| fall v 12
|
| Galatians 2:11-14
| apostle Peter
| false doctrine, hypocrisy
| literal Greek, "stood condemned" v 11
|
| Galatians 5:4
| severed & fallen indicates previously joined and standing
| seeking to keep OLD TESTAMENT
| severed from Christ, fallen from grace
|
| Galatians 6:1
| restore indicates once saved
| caught in trespass
| needed to be restored
|
| 1 Timothy 1:18-20
| Hymenaeus, Alexander: shipwreck indicates they once sailed good
| rejected faith and good conscience, blasphemed
| their personal faith shipwrecked, delivered to Satan
|
| 1 Timothy 4:1
| fall away indicates once saved
| false doctrine
| fall away from faith
|
| 1 Timothy 5:8
| passage addressed to Christians
| doesn’t provide for family
| denied faith, worse than unbeliever
|
| 1 Timothy 6:10
| passage addressed to Christians
| love of money
| wandered from faith, pierced selves with pangs
|
| 2 Timothy 2:16-18
| Hymenaeus and Philetus: gone astray indicates once correct
| false doctrine: resurrection past
| gone astray, upset other’s faith as well
|
| Hebrews 3:12
| brethren
| evil, unbelieving
| fall away from God
|
| Hebrews 4:1-2, 11
| brethren, addressed to Christians
| unbelief, disobey
| short of God’s rest, fall
|
| Hebrews 6:4-8
| once enlightened, tasted heavenly gift, partakers of HS, Bible and powers to come, renew indicates restore to former cleanness
| sin
| fallen away, can’t renew, crucified Christ again and put in open shame
|
| Hebrews 10:26-31
| received knowledge of truth, no longer remains indicates they once had forgiveness
| sinning willfully
| no forgiveness of sin, fearful judgment
|
| Hebrews 10:38-39
| God’s righteous, Christians
| shrinks back
| God has no pleasure in him, destruction
|
| James 5:19-20
| brethren, Christians
| strays from truth, sin
| soul will die in sins, sinner
|
| 1 Peter 5:8
| Christians
| sin
| devoured by devil
|
| 2 Peter 2:1
| Christians, "among you" had been bought by Christ
| false prophets
| swift destruction
|
| 2 Peter 2:20-22
| escaped defilements of world by Christ, entangled again, returns to mire indicates they were once untangled and clean, known way of righteousness, had washed
| entangled, overcome, turned away, returns to vomit/mire
| last state worse than first, better they never had become a Christian
|
| 2 Peter 3:17
| beloved, Christians
| carried away
| fall from own steadfastness
|
| 2 John 8-9
| Christians, have accomplished
| not abide in doctrine, false doctrine
| lose, no reward doesn’t have God
|
| Revelation 2:4-5
| Christians in Ephesus
| left first love
| fallen, lampstand removed
|
| Revelation 3:5
| Christians in Sardis
| deeds incomplete
| are dead
|
| Revelation 3:16-17
| Christians in Laodicea
| lukewarmness
| spit out of Christ’s mouth
|
